Lys, Christian Löffler’s newest album, serves as a sequel and contrast to Graal, its predecessor. Rather than capturing a specific moment in time or emotion, Lysis a selection of Löffler’s favorite productions from the past three years, compiled into one enchanting and deeply moving listening experience. DMCWORLD grabs a world exclusive with the main man…
Hey Christian! Thanks so much for taking the time to complete a couple of questions for us – we’re huge fans of your music and love the sound of your upcoming album.
Thanks so much DMC!!!
Your last big release was Graal (Prologue), which was released last year. What have you been up to since then? How is your 2020 going so far?
After releasing Graal, I went on tour to promote the new record. I was also putting the last finishing touches on my upcoming album Lys. Currently I’m preparing for my upcoming European tour in April and May. We are setting up a new light and visual show. Also I’m getting ready for my show at Cityfox LIVE in NYC on February 29th.
You’ve mentioned that your upcoming studio album, Lys, is a follow-up sequel to Graal. Can you tell us a bit more about how these two projects tie together, as well as about the reason behind creating two separate albums instead of one, complete LP?
Graal was made from sketches I wrote while touring. I decided to keep those songs separately as an experiment to see how it differs from my studio work. It should feel like a sketchbook quickly expressing my musical ideas in a rougher way while. Lys is completely written in my studio at home with the feeling of a proper very polished album.
How did the collaborations with Josephine Philip (from Graal: “Running”, from Lys: “The End”) come to fruition?
I met her a few years ago while working with my mastering engineer on Graal in his studio in Copenhagen. I was a big fan of her band Darkness Falls and also loved her the sound of her voice when she collaborated with Trentemøller. We just kept in touch sending ideas forth and back via e-mail and came up with our first song “Running”. We just kept working on a few more songs after that and were lucky to come up with the idea for “The End” at some point.
Lys is a particularly interesting project, as it merges your passion for the physical arts and musical arts. How did you come up with the idea of creating an oil painting for each track off the album? Beyond that, which piece came first: the painting or the production?
Before Graal I got back into visuals arts especially drawing. I made many sketches and used a few for the artwork of the record. For Lys I wanted to paint some of those sketches. Also it became a ritual to step back from computers and screens to do something physical. I love preparing the canvas and mixing the colors, something non-creative and clears the mind. I came up with many musical ideas while visiting art exhibitions and following my favorites painters but also from actually painting myself.
Briefly talk us through your general creative process in the studio. How do conceptualize your ideas into tracks? Do you have a specific method?
I always start form scratch and most of the times I’m searching for some kind of pad sound. I record synths and run the signal through several effects. Then I cut parts out of it and resample it for example. Another method would involve getting inspired by a sound I hear while walking in the woods or a random sound effect I recognize in a movie. Then I also sample it and take it from there heavily altering it and transforming into something new.
You’re known for putting on a wonderfully intricate live set. Can we expect a Christian Loffler DJ set anytime soon?
I love mixing but I never do it on stage. I do DJ sets sometimes but only in my studio for podcasts for example. I’ll probably organize one at some point down the line but there is no plan yet. Even though it sounds exciting to select my favorites for a crowd and experiment a little bit with unexpected music.
‘Lys’ is out now via Ki Records
